Nginx Api Connectivity ManagerWeb server / proxy · F5
CVE-2023-28724
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedNGINX Management Suite default file permissions are set such that an authenticated attacker may be able to modify sensitive files on NGINX Instance Manager and NGINX API Connectivity Manager. Note: Software versions which have reached End of Technical Support (EoTS) are not evaluated.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThis vulnerability involves overly permissive default file permissions in NGINX Management Suite (affecting NGINX Instance Manager and NGINX API Connectivity Manager) that allow authenticated attackers to modify sensitive system files. An attacker with valid credentials can leverage these weak permissions to potentially alter configuration files or other sensitive resources on the affected systems.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Nginx Api Connectivity ManagerWeb server / proxy
>= 1.0.0, < 1.5.0
Nginx Instance ManagerWeb server / proxy
>= 2.0.0, < 2.9.0
Nginx Security MonitoringWeb server / proxy
>= 1.0.0, < 1.3.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed product and versionRun 'rpm -qa | grep -i f5' or check the NGINX Management Suite web UI for the version number under the system information or about sectionAffected if The installed version falls within these ranges: Nginx Api Connectivity Manager < 1.5.0, Nginx Instance Manager < 2.9.0, or Nginx Security Monitoring < 1.3.0
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Locate NGINX Management Suite installation directoryCommon default paths include /opt/nginx-management-suite, /usr/share/nginx, or check the documentation for your installed product's installation locationAffected if The installation directory exists and contains NGINX Management Suite components
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Check file ownership and permissions on configuration filesRun 'ls -la' on configuration files in the installation directory (commonly found in conf/, config/, or etc/ subdirectories). Look for files with permissions like 644, 664, or any file that is world-writable (permissions ending in 'w' for others) or group-writable without justificationAffected if Configuration files or sensitive system files have overly permissive permissions such as world-writable (o+w), group-writable (g+w without proper group ownership), or default permissions that allow unauthorized users to modify them
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Verify if sensitive config files are readable or writable by non-root usersAs a non-root user, attempt to read or write to configuration files in the installation directory: 'cat /path/to/config/file' or 'echo test >> /path/to/config/file' (use a test file)Affected if Non-privileged users can read or modify configuration files that should be restricted to root or the nginx service account only
A system is affected if it runs a version within the affected ranges AND configuration files in the installation directory have overly permissive permissions that allow authenticated users to modify sensitive system files.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped1.3.01.5.02.9.0
Apply restrictive file permissions to sensitive files in the NGINX Management Suite installation directory, following vendor guidance on secure file ownership and permissions (typically 644 or stricter for config files, with appropriate ownership).
Nginx Api Connectivity Manager: 1.5.0 | Nginx Instance Manager: 2.9.0 | Nginx Security Monitoring: 1.3.0
- 1. Identify which NGINX Management Suite components are deployed in your environment (Api Connectivity Manager, Instance Manager, Security Monitoring, or combinations)
- 2. For Nginx Api Connectivity Manager: plan upgrade from versions 1.0.0-1.4.x to version 1.5.0 or later
- 3. For Nginx Instance Manager: plan upgrade from versions 2.0.0-2.8.x to version 2.9.0 or later
- 4. For Nginx Security Monitoring: plan upgrade from versions 1.0.0-1.2.x to version 1.3.0 or later
- 5. Review F5 release notes for upgrade procedures and prerequisites
- 6. Perform backup of current configurations
- 7. Execute upgrade following standard F5 upgrade procedures for each component
- 8. Verify file permissions are correctly set post-upgrade by reviewing documentation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Nginx Api Connectivity Manager
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,168.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28724 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-28724 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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